The gentle waves crashed against the shores, and everything was set for the beachfront wedding. The aisle had been adorned with pretty flowers, and a soft fabric was spread all over the floors.

Charlie's heart was a frantic beat as she walked down the aisle in the wedding dress her father had handed to her just yesterday, her arm linked to her brother's.

Seated at the front was her dad, and Charlie recognised no one else. The other rows were filled with men dressed in dark suits, their faces hard and eyes veiled. They radiated dangerous aura and unspoken business.

It was shady as hell.

The only anchor she had was her brother, who kept giving her a reassuring squeeze every five seconds. For some odd reason, she had expected to see someone else present for her wedding today, and Charlie whispered to her brother, "Keith, Is Nick coming today?"

She felt her brother stiffen a bit from the question, before he replied, "Hopefully, No!" His Jaw clenched.

Nick was Keith's best friend, and Charlie has known him since she was a little girl. She even developed a huge crush on him when she turned thirteen, and by then, Nick and Keith were nineteen, but Nick disappeared a year later and not even Keith gave her any explanation as to why he left.

He only said Nick had some business to attend to.

Charlie forced her gaze forward, to the man waiting for her at the aisle. Orlando was round, and he had a creepy smile plastered on his face which only accentuated his wrinkles even more, and his suit pulled awkwardly across his thick shoulders.

He had to be at least fifty.

A cold dread twisted in Charlie's stomach, but she forced it deep down. She had to keep reminding herself that this was the only way, and her brother would make sure she's out of the marriage in a few months.

Once they got to the altar, Keith turned to her and gave her a sympathetic and assuring smile. She returned his gesture with a tight nod, before he released her hand and moved to sit next to his father.

As she faced the man she was about to marry, her features locked into a neutral mask but deep down she was trembling and on the verge of tears.

The pastor cleared his throat and began. He spoke the familiar words of sacred vows, love and honour but his words held no meaning to Charlie.

That was untill the question she dreaded finally arrived,

"...do you, take Charlie Cesare to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Orlando's voice, surprisingly loud and gruff, boomed, "I DO!"

Then, it was Charlie's turn.

"And do you, take Orlando to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death to you part?"

Charlie's lips quaked, and seconds ticked by. She could feel her father's stern gaze on her, but she was never doing this because of him. Slowly, her lips parted to say the words, and she didn't even realise the tears had pooled in her eyes, "I...,"

All of a sudden, a guttural roar sliced through the air. Sleek, black cars and motorcycles surged forward into the sand, engines snarling as they zoomed toward the altar.

Before anyone could react, burst of gun fires filled the air, ripping through the arrangements and the whole place jumped into a frenzy.

The men seated in black showed their true colors, drawing out their guns and returning fire. Orlando had already taken off running with an astonishing burst of speed.

Charlie froze for a moment - not because she was scared, but because she was calculating.

Who was down? Who was firing? Who was exposed?

Quickly, she kicked off her heels and removed her veil, her heart pounding. Her gaze moved sharply to her father, who was shouting into a radio with blood covering one of his ear. The men around her were in a disarray and uncoordinated, and no one was giving any order.

So she did the last thing anyone expected her to do.

Charlie grabbed a pistol on the sand, cocked it and jumped on an overturned table, her eyes fixed on an approaching black car shooting at them. Then, she screamed, "Form a Flank! Fall back for cover and pinch them from both sides, now!"

Some stared. One moved.

And the others followed.

Then, she shot at the car. A bullet hit the windshield, and the other found a shoulder. It was messy, but it worked.

A bullet suddenly buzzed past her ear, barely missing her. She instinctively moved into a squatting position, her eyes searching for the shooter - and she saw him.

One of them was coming straight for her, a gun in his hand and aimed straight at her. His purpose was clear, making Rhiannon's heart race even more.

Rhiannon raised her weapon again, about to release fire when a large body tackled her from the side, "Charlie, move!"

It was Keith, and they both fell on the ground. There was blood on his face, panic and fury in his eyes, "Come on Charlie, let's go!" He yelled through the noise, snatching the gun from her hand.

"I was Handling it-"

"Move, Charlie. You're not Bulletproof!" He screamed at her.

Without hesitation, Charlie stood up and they ran the opposite direction, heading toward the distant road at the other far end, "There's a car waiting. We need to get there," He said.

"What the hell is going on, anyway?!" Charlie questioned, glancing behind them for a moment.

"The Other Mafia Group. They found us!" He replied.

"What? How?!"

"I don't know, Charlie!! I don't know!!" He shouted over his shoulder, his expression tortured.

The engine of a car roared behind them, and Charlie's eyes widened in horror just as a bullet flew past their heads.

"Shit!" Keith cursed as a sleek, black car swooped up from behind them. It zipped onto their front, cutting off their escape.

Keith raised the gun immediately, but the full-faced tactical masked rider was a moment faster than him. There was a deafening crack, and Keith cried out, clutching his shoulders as he fell to the ground.

"Keith!" Charlie cried, as a heart-wrenching agony ripped through her. The blood was blossoming against his suit, but before she could even touch him, a powerful hand grabbed and hauled her back to her feet.

It was the masked man, and Charlie reflex, honed by years of martial arts, kicked in. A surge of adrenaline sharpened her senses and she momentarily forgot about her fears. She twisted, aimed and kicked with a calculated, quick and fierce strike that connected solidly with his side.

He stumbled back a bit, looking up almost late to see her knees colliding again with his stomach.

He stumbled harder this time, and she heard him groan under the mask.

In that second, Charlie's hand scrambled and grabbed thr fallen gun. Her hands gripped it hard as she pointed it toward the masked man. Her gaze darted between her bleeding brother and the dark figure, whom was already back on his feet and now loomed over her.

She aimed at the masked man, and clicked at the trigger instantly... but there was no gunshot.

Silence.

Charlie tried again, but the same thing followed. Oh no, was she out of bullets?

The masked man, noticing this opportunity, made his move. There was another gunshot, and Charlie gasped as the gun was ripped from her grasp, but not by his hand, but by a precise bullet of his.

The gun was sent rolling on the sand, away from her.

And then, he was onto her again. She lashed out with another move, a quicker and deadlier one this time, only to be met with the restraints of her wedding dress.

Shit!

The masked man moved with terrifying efficiency, and before Charlie could attack with another move, he had already countered, twisting her arm behind her back and quickly subduing her.

He then threw her over his shoulders like she weighed almost nothing, and every one of her struggles were futile against his immense strength as he moved with an unyielding purpose.

Getting to the aisle, she was surprised to see the men in black had all been subdued, with more than half dead on the floor. Her father was on his knees beside the altar, helpless, his head oozing more blood with a cold gun pressed against his temple.

The Masked man dropped her unceremoniously on the altar, which was now in ruins.

Charlie took a step to reach her father, when a hand clamped down on her arm. The Masked man spoke, his tone cold, "Move again, and I'll spray his brain matter all over this beach, understood?"

Charlie froze, her breathing erratic. As much as every muscle in her screamed in protest, she forced herself to comply.

She watched again as the trembling pastor was dragged back to the altar.

Then, the masked man reached up slowly to his face and grabbed his mask, and Charlie didn't know why but she held her breath at that moment.

Then, he pulled it off.

Charlie gasped. The face was familiar but older, sharper and a lot more handsome and masculine. Especially his green eyes, which she could never mistaken for anything, but they were held no warmth like she remembered, and was laced with a look of triumph and mischief.

It was Nick. Keith's Best friend and the only man she's ever loved.

Then, Nick's gaze shifted from Charlie to the pastor. His next words were clear, cutting through the tension and holding no room for argument, "Marry Us!"